Media: Putin starts avoiding regions regularly attacked by drones
After resuming trips to Russian regions, Vladimir Putin is mostly visiting Siberia and other areas that are relatively rarely targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. He may also visit the Novosibirsk region next week, reports «Agentstvo» citing local media.
Officially, the Kremlin and the Novosibirsk region authorities have not yet confirmed the upcoming visit. According to «Sib.fm», the exact date of the trip is unknown, but it could take place as early as next week. The possible agenda includes a visit to the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF) and a meeting with Governor Andrey Travnikov.
SKIF is being prepared for commissioning in the summer of 2026. Back in March, Novosibirsk reported that they expected Putin to attend the opening of the complex in late summer or early autumn. In June, a local outlet estimated the facility’s readiness at 99.7%.
«Agentstvo» noted that after a long break, the geography of Putin’s trips has changed. The first major regional trip was a visit to Kazan on June 17 for the Russia-ASEAN summit. The Kremlin confirmed that the summit would take place on June 17–18.
At the end of July, Putin headed to Siberia. On July 24, he visited the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, and on July 25 he was in Omsk, where he met with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, took part in a forum on interregional cooperation, and held a meeting with the governor of the Omsk region. These trips are reflected in the Kremlin’s official chronicle.
According to «Agentstvo», on August 3 Putin also visited the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Thus, if the trip to Novosibirsk takes place, it would continue a series of visits predominantly to the eastern part of Russia.
The outlet links such geography to security concerns against the backdrop of regular Ukrainian drone attacks on facilities in European Russia. At the same time, there is no confirmation that the drone threat specifically determines Putin’s routes, and the Kremlin has not publicly stated such reasons.
Most Siberian regions he visited this summer have indeed been targeted by long-range attacks significantly less often, «Agentstvo» notes. An exception among the recent trips was Tatarstan, which has repeatedly been struck by drones. During Putin’s June visit to Kazan, a source reported that security measures were heightened there.
Before resuming trips, Putin had not visited Russian regions for a long time. «Agentstvo» writes that the previous such visit before the June trip to Kazan took place back in November 2025.
Separately, in late 2025 Russian authorities claimed an alleged attempted drone attack on Putin’s residence in Valdai. No independent evidence supporting this version was presented. «Proekt» also noted tightened security measures around the Valdai residence, including the deployment of an air defense system.
